Food is the new tech
A natural pearl begins it's life inside an oyster's shell when a grain of sand slips in between one of the two shells of an oyster.
As "pearl farmers", here at OysterBay we strive to provide innovative, authentic, emerging brands with the all the support they need to become iridescent gems disrupting the food & beverage consumer packaged goods space.
NO GRIT, NO PEARLS
Investment Strategy
Uncharted oceans can be rough sometimes. Our investment focus is the true compass that will guide you to successful horizons.
We mainly focus on later stage companies in the plant-based, sustainable and/or functional food and beverage consumer goods space. We invest in Seed and Series A/B as well as in Secondary’s. Oyster Bay is committed to invest in successful innovative food-tech, agricultural-tech and food e-commerce companies which deliver financial returns and measurable social and environmental good.
Operational Expertise
We are operators first, investors second.
We use our expertise to actively develop our “oyster reef.”
WE ARE SALES PIRATES
As operators ourselves, we understand that building a brand means moving in the market with a lot of moving parts. We know the route because we’ve travelled the route. Together, we’ll develop distribution, pricing and promotional strategies, navigating every channel and routes to market. Moreover, assembling the right field organization or finding the perfect influencer or celebrity partner, we know the score. We have peerless success in marketing new, up-and-coming brands, turning start-up companies into household names.
WE ARE BRAND AND MARKETING NAVIGATORS
First impressions count more than ever in choppy seas with many gasping for a lifeline. Packaging and branding are the soul of your company, a tangible representation of who you are and the one thing that works the hardest for you. Our team has led design on some of the most disruptive packaging in the market today, and they can craft the right image to ensure that you break through in a crowded marketplace.
WE ARE DIGITAL AND E-COMMERCE CAPTAINS
How brands are built today is changing. From direct to consumer to Amazon, from optimization to original content generation – the wave of future B2C and B2B communication is here. Our experienced experts will teach you how to catch that wave and ride it all the way to the shore.
WE ARE TALENT FISHERS
It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know. With 25+ years combined CPG experience, we know some of the best names in the business and pride ourselves in helping you to find the best people to execute your vision.
WE ARE EXIT STRATEGISTS
Short-term sales growth is good for today. But we also want to think about creating something with you that lasts long after tomorrow. We help build iconic brands that have enduring legacies through good stewardship because it’s what we as operators and founders did ourselves with true GRIT.
Portfolio
Team
CHRISTOPH MILLER
Founding Managing Partner
Serial Entrepreneur with 25+ years experience in the international Food & Beverage world, built up various multinational beverage brands on the German/Austrian markets (i.e. Corona, Arizona Iced Tea, Dr. Pepper Energy, Sol Beer)
European retail market expert with access to 25+k accounts in Germany /Austria / CH
Business Angel Investor and advisor in several FoodTech start-ups
Co-Investor in Vita Coco (world market leader in coconut water), Genius Foods (UK market leader in gluten free bread)
Operational advisor to VERLINVEST (Industry Holding of AB-Inbev family)
MAXIMILIAN PRIEBE
Principal
Global Financial Advisory/ M&A at Rothschild
Previous experience at Deutsche Bank – Private Wealth Management, Global Transaction Banking
Project Manager for the City of Mannheim, Expo Qingdao China
Bachelor in Business Administration from Mannheim University
JEAN-GUILLAUME MARQUAIRE
Principal
Founder of financial & strategic advisory boutique Affari Associates
Over 10 years of experience within the consumer goods sector
Former Business Development Manager at VOSS Water, Financial Analyst at Procter & Gamble and Management Consultant at MCCrescendo
Master’s in Food & Beverage Management, Magna Cum Laude, from SDA Bocconi, Bachelor’s Degree in Finance with Honors from HEC Montréal
CASPAR OLENHUSEN
Investment Manager
Previous Head of Marketing and eCommerce at Lizza GmbH
Business Development at the John Deere European Technology Innovation Center
Sales and Marketing Manager at KWS and Betaseed, GER and USA
MBA – International Food and Agribusiness, Royal Agricultural University Cirencester
HEIKE SOMMER
Assistant
10+ years experience as assistant to the management
Banker with several years of professional experience in the credit department (Bayerische Vereinsbank, now Unicredit)
